Improvement in bustles



A. W. THOMAS.

BUSTLES.

No.180,172. Patented July 25,1876.

glnnentur Attorney N.PE|'ERS, FKOTO-LIMOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. D. C.

PATENT AMOS W. THOMAS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUSTL ES,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 180,172, dated July 25, 1876; application filed September 9, 1575. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMos W. THOMAS, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Bustles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, in which the figure is a perspective of a bustle made according to my improvements.

The object generally of this my invention is to provide a bustle so contrived as to present great resistance to the superincumbent weight of the skirts of the wearer, said bustle having great facility for the closing of the hows when the wearer sits down, and said bows springing downwardly from the waistband when lateral impact is removed.

A further and particular object of my improvements is to provide a long bustle which will bend up at the lower corners, so as not to incommode the wearer when sitting down.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, A represents the waistband of a bustle, to which are attached the sect-ions B B, forming the muslin or textile back. Each of said sections is composed of the muslin piece b and corner tapes I), to which are secured by clamps c c the contour-bows O. D represents the spring bow or rim, bulging outwardly from the corners d d, inclining upwardly from said corners until they meet the stays D D at d 01?. The staysD D are inserted in pockets 6 e in the muslin back B, and are, by preference, formed in the same piece with the rim D. E shows the adjusting-cord, and ff cords by which the bustle is fastened at its lower extremity to the person of the wearer.

It will be observed that in this bustle no stays are provided at the edges or points where the contour-bows are attached to the muslin back. The only stays employed are those in the center of the back,which may be and are intended generally to be made in one August, 1875.

piece with the spring bow or rim. The incline of said rim from d to d permits the formation of an unusually long hustle, which will bend-from the points as a center when the wearer sits down, and brings the corners cl d in contact with a seat.

G shows a tape proceeding from the waistband A to the rim D, and connected to each of the bows (J, so as to cause them to spring downwardly from said waistbh nd by the elastic force of the rim when lateral impact is removed.

t is to be remarked that when the rim D is folded the portion of the wire lying between the points (I and d is twisted. This twisting or torsion is what causes the necessary spring by which the rim is returned to its normal position after compression.

What I claim is 1. The spring bow or rim D, forming an incline from the corner 01 to d, proceeding from the latter point upwardly, andv forming or connected with the middle stays D D, substantially as shown and described.

2. A bustle, substantially as described, in which. the lower bow or rim is extended to form the middle stays of the back, as set forth. Y

3. The rim D, inclined, as shown, from the points cl to 61 so as to permit the lower edge of the bustle to bend upwardly toward the waistband when the wearer sits down, as set forth.

et. The spring-rim D, forming or combined with the stays D D, and arranged substantially as described, so that when folded or flattened against or toward the back a torsion will be produced to facilitate opening or bulging.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of AMOS W: THOMAS.

Witnesses:

M. DANL. OoNNoLLY, CHAS. F. VAN HORN. 

